WHAT TO DO....

GOSH, so I got another upset customer, I mean she doesn't want a refund or anything she really loved my work and detail on the cake but she said that everyone was complaining about how dry the cake was! this never happens to me, if anything everyone says that my cake is very moist I hate that every time something like this happens where a customer is not happy with my work I want to offer a free cake or just stop making cakes. and she also was upset because the cake was put on plywood...of course I covered the board with a mixture of gum paste and fondant so the cake wasn't touching the board directly. I didn't know that was hazardous. =/ how do you guys deal with this feeling of not wanting to do more cakes? I really don't want upset or unhappy customers. I hate it!

I know your "sick wit it" but don't quit.....caking is something that is more than just something to do...it is a creative part of you...DON'T STOP doing what you love...people are people....it will pass. The best way to get over not wanting to do more cakes is....DO MORE CAKES.... smile and remember to breathe <333><

Can't help much with the dry issue, but with the plywood issue, yes, plywood can be made with formaldehyde and toxic glues. Without being sealed with something--and fondant/gum paste don't "seal" and can degrade when exposed to the oils and acids in food.

At a minimum, your cake should always be on it's own cake board, creating a barrier between it and the base board. If using plywood, you could have a non-toxic sealant or foil or contact paper applied to it before putting fondant/gum paste on it.

melissalovespandas, I'm probably going to regret pointing out the obvious, but I took a look at your website - and I don't believe you are baking out of a commercial kitchen in California - in Sacramento. I think if you were baking out of a legal kitchen, you would be more familiar with safe food handling and things like not putting your food direct on plywood- because you would have had to take a food handling course and had extensive orientation by the facility you were working out of before they even let you fire up their ovens.

I know you asked one question and came here for commiseration about something completely different, but stuff like contaminating the food you sell out of ignorance - when there are legal requirements that you obviously have not met that make it necessary for you to know these things - is kind of a big deal for you.

You should count yourself lucky that the customer complained direct to you - and not to your local Health Department. For reals. I'm not trying to be mean, but seriously, that's a bullet dodged. The next one may not work out so well!